"I'd better - try to get used to the idea sooner or later."

"Me as well."

"How can demons even tell you're married, anyway."

"I believe there's some sort of magical marriage bond that can form between empowered?"

"But you're half commoner. How did that work? Why was it allowed to be tried?"

"My mom wasn't empowered - most nobles aren't."

"But still, do empowered ones ever marry non-empowered ones?"

"No - their demons would go wild if they did that."

"Oh."

"Courting season is just about over, so we'll have almost a year until I'm married most likely."

Annie kind of wants to throw up. She does not do this. She is busy holding Lucette.

"Sorry." Hug.

"It's not your fault."

"Are there things I could do to make it easier?"

"I dunno. You didn't want me anyway so there's that."

"Ideally my being married will not actually affect what sort of interactions I can have with you? And it will give me more freedom in general."

"Okay," whispers Annie.

She hugs Annie tighter.

Annie tries really hard not to cry and fails.

Yeah...it's... yeah.

At least Lucette's not kicking her out of bed for crying on her.

Lucette has no idea why she would do that.

Lucette's demon won't come during the day at its current strength, so she has to wait till the following evening to get her first haunting over with.

She does in fact manage to go get Annie afterwards. Mostly to apologize to her for playing music, being a girl, and injuring all those people Annie had to heal in the hospital.

Annie is there to hug her and remind her that she did not injure anyone and the music was a necessary experiment and it is not her fault that she is a girl and they still couldn't get married even if she weren't one apparently.

Lucette is under the impression that things would be better if she weren't a girl, but she's not actually sure why.